Imamabara Husainabad Mubarak, (Chota Imambara). (Lucknow) | historical building, tourist attraction

 imambara, historical building, tourist attraction

Imambara Husainabad Mubarak or Chota Imambara was built by King Muhammad Ali Shah (3rd King of Awadh) in 1838, to serve as his own mausoleum. The interior of this magnificent building has chandeliers from Belgium, lamp shades and other decorative pieces which might have costed a fortune in those days. Thousands of labourers worked on the project to gain famine relief and the end result was a fantastic-looking tomb. The large courtyard encloses a raised rectangular tank with small imitations of the Taj Mahal on each side. One of them is the tomb of Muhammad Ali Shah's daughter. The other is for symmetric balance.

The main building of the Imambara is topped with numerous minarets and domes -- the main one is golden. Inside are the tombs of King Muhammad Ali Shah (3rd King of Awadh) and his mother. The nawab's silver throne and other paraphernalia of state are here.

The watchtower opposite the Imambara is known as Satkhanda, or the Seven-Storey Tower, but it actually has four storeys because construction was abandoned at that level when Ali Shah died in 1840. The Imambara is open from 06:00 hours to 17:00 hours.